Streets of Memories
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 1
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 08:00
Sunlight filters through the curtains. PETER stirs in bed.
PETER (V.O): Yesterday, I visited my Mum, her voice lingers in my mind.
Peter stretches.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): She clings tight to her childhood home in Ho Tong, Guangdong.
Peter rises.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): But she can't recognize my wife, and she can't remember where she gave birth to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): After seeing Alfred today, I'll revisit Graham street and its neighourhood.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The sights of the Dai Pai Dongs from my Graham Street home are still vivid in my memory.
Act 2
EXT. HOLLYWOOD ROAD - 13:00
Walking past Man Mo Temple, Peter takes several snapshots of it.
PETER (V.O): I'm not a religious person. It's just next to the School where I attended P.1.
Peter stares at a contruction site just next to the Temple.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Not a trace of the School, although I can still sing its Cantonese anthem.
Humming.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The melody is quite nice but not the lyrics as they're filled without tonal sensitivity.
EXT. GRAHAM STREET - 13:30
Peter arrives at the upper section of the narrow street.
PETER (V.O): When I was living in 3 Graham Street, 1/F, I only walked down the street towards Queen's Road Central.
Peter gazes at the new buildings in the neighbourhood.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I can't imagine how these buildings could have made their way here.
Peter walks along a row of stalls on either sides of the Street, he stops when he sees the No.5 building.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Where's No.3? Merged with No.5?
Gazing at a 6-storeyed building.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The old 3-storey tenement we lived was demolished to make way for this.
Peter stares at the window on the first floor of the building.
FLASHBACK
INT. PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY (1959)
A lively Peter (5) sits cross-legged on the windowsill of his first-floor home.
PETER (V.O): I like to watch the Dai Pai Dong activities at the food street below.
We follow Peter to watch VENDORS flipping stir-fried noodles and serving steaming bowls of congee to eager CUSTOMERS.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I can smell the aromas of garlic, soy sauce etc.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My big family always eat at home together...and a small steamed minced meat dish is for me only.
Later, Peter sits on the floor, pushing flip-flops and matchboxes around, again and again.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I imagine the flip-flops are ferries crossing the harbour and the matchboxes are buses crusing along busy streets.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm the eldest grandson of the Cheung family; and all are pleased to leave me alone.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The Dai Pai Dong section is actually not as big as I envisaged...I was much smaller in stature then.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): What is a real name of the food street?
EXT. STANLEY STREET - 13:45
Peter finds the street sign.
PETER (V.O): Should I rent or buy a residence in the neighbourhood?
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter inserts an AI drawing titled: "Streets of Memories..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O): The connection between locations and my personal growth is both profound and lasting.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Memories hold the power to influence my senses of identity and belonging.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While change is inevitable, I can still find ways to connect with my roots.
FADE OUT
THE END
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